The Historical Fiction Shelf

Half-Life of a Stolen Sister
Rachel Cantor
Soho Press
853 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
www.sohopress.com
9781641294645, $27.00, HC, 384pp

https://www.amazon.com/Half-Life-Stolen-Sister-Rachel-Cantor/dp/1641294647

Synopsis: How did the Bronte sisters (Emily, Charlotte, and Anne) write lit= erary the landmarks Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Agnes Grey? What in t= heir lives and circumstances, in the choices they made, and in their close = but complex relationships with one another made such greatness possible?

In her new novel, "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister", author Rachel Cantor meld=
s biographical fact with unruly invention to illuminate the siblings' geniu=
s, their bonds of love and duty, periods of furious creativity, and the ong= oing tolls of illness, isolation, and loss.

As this biographical novel tells the story of the Brontes, "Half-Life of a = Stolen Sister" perpetually transforms and renews its own style and methods,=
sometimes hewing close to the facts of the Bronte lives as we know them (o=
r think we know them), and at others radically reimagining the siblings, mo= ving them into new time periods and possibilities.

Chapter by chapter, "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister" brings together diaries,=
letters, home movies, television and radio interviews, deathbed monologues=
, and fragments from the sprawling invented worlds of the siblings' childho= od. As it does so, a kaleidoscopic portrait emerges, giving us with startli=
ng intensity and invention new ways of seeing (and reading!) the sisters wh=
o would create some of the supreme works of literature of all time.

Critique: Original and deftly crafted, "Half-Life of a Stolen Sister" by Ra= chel Cantor is a fun and entertaining work of fiction that is true to histo= rical facts. The result is an unreserved recommendation as a high value pic=
k for personal, community, and academic library Biographical Fiction collec= tions. It should be noted fans of the Brontes and their classic novels that=
"Half-Life of a Stolen Sister" is also available in a digital book format = (Kindle, $14.99).

Editorial Note: Rachel Cantor (https://www.rachelcantor.com) is also the au= thor of the novels "Good on Paper" and "A Highly Unlikely Scenario". Her st= ories have been published in The Paris Review, One Story, Ninth Letter, Ken= yon Review, New England Review, and elsewhere, and she has written about fi= ction for National Public Radio, The Guardian, Publishers Weekly, and other=
publications.

Queen of Exiles
Vanessa Riley
William Morrow & Company
c/o HarperCollins Publishers
www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780063270992, $32.00, HC, 448pp

https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Exiles-Novel-Vanessa-Riley/dp/0063270994

Synopsis: Marie-Louise Christophe was the wife and then widow of Henry I, w=
ho ruled over the newly liberated Kingdom of Hayti in the wake of the bruta=
l Haitian Revolution.

In 1810 Louise is crowned queen as her husband begins his reign over the fi= rst and only free Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. But despite their=
newfound freedom, Haitians still struggle under mountains of debt to Franc=
e and indifference from former allies in Britain and the new United States.=
Louise desperately tries to steer the country's political course as King H= enry descends into a mire of mental illness.

In 1820, King Henry is overthrown and dies by his own hand. Louise and her = daughters manage to flee to Europe with their smuggled jewels. In exile, th=
e resilient Louise redefines her role, recovering the fortune that Henry ha=
d lost and establishing herself as an equal to the kings of European nation=
s.

With newspapers and gossip tracking their every movement, Louise and her da= ughters tour Europe like other royals, complete with glittering balls and p= rinces with marriage proposals. As they find their footing (and acceptance)=
they discover more about themselves, their Blackness, and the opportunitie=
s they can grasp in a European and male-dominated world.

Critique: Queen Marie Louise Coidavid (1778 - 11 March 1851) was the Queen =
of the Kingdom of Haiti 1811-20 as the spouse of Henri Christophe. A work o=
f deftly crafted fiction, but based on historical realities and personaliti= es, "Queen of Exiles" by Vanessa Riley showcases a remarkable Black woman -=
- a canny and bold survivor who chooses the fire and ideals of political st= ruggle, and then is forced to rebuild her life on her own terms, but is for= ever a queen! Fascinating, engaging, entertaining, memorable, "Queen of Exi= les" is especially and unreservedly recommended for community library biogr= aphical fiction collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists = that "Queen of Exiles" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, = $14.99) and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blackstone Audio, 9798= 212692274, $57.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Novelist Vanessa Riley (https://vanessariley.com) also hold=
s a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a master's in industrial engine= ering and engineering management from Stanford University. She also earned =
BS and MS in mechanical engineering from Penn State University.

The Paris Deception
Bryn Turnbull
Mira Books
www.mirabooks.com
c/o HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com
Blackstone Audiobooks
https://www.blackstonelibrary.com
9780778307662, $28.99, HC, 448pp

https://www.amazon.com/Paris-Deception-Novel-Bryn-Turnbull/dp/0778307662

Synopsis: Sophie Dix fled Stuttgart with her brother as the Nazi regime gai= ned power in Germany. Now, with her brother gone and her adopted home city =
of Paris conquered by the Reich, Sophie reluctantly accepts a position rest= oring damaged art at the Jeu de Paume museum under the supervision of the E=
RR -- a Nazi art commission using the museum as a repository for art they'v=
e looted from Jewish families.

Fabienne Brandt was a rising star in the Parisian bohemian arts movement un= til the Nazis put a stop to so-called "degenerate" modern art. Still mourni=
ng the loss of her firebrand husband, she's resolved to muddle her way thro= ugh the occupation in whatever way she can -- until Sophie, her estranged s= ister-in-law, arrives at her door with a stolen painting in hand.

Soon the two women embark upon a plan to save Paris's "degenerates", workin=
g beneath the noses of Germany's top art connoisseurs to replace the painti= ngs in the Jeu de Paume with skillful forgeries -- but how long can Sophie = and Fabienne sustain their masterful illusion?

Critique: Fascinating, entertaining, original, deftly crafted with meticulo=
us attention to historical detail, "The Paris Deception" by Bryn Turnbull w= ill have immense appeal to readers with an interest in World War II themed = suspense/thriller fiction and Women's Friendship novels. While unreservedly=
recommended for community library Historical Fiction collections, it shoul=
d be noted for personal reading lists that "The Paris Deception" is also av= ailable in a paperback edition (9780778333418, $18.99), in a digital book f= ormat (Kindle, $11.99), and as a complete and unabridged audio book (Blacks= tone Audio, 9780778333418, $41.99, CD).

Editorial Note: Bryn Turnbull (https://www.brynturnbull.com) is also the au= thor of The Woman Before Wallis. With a master of letters in creative writi=
ng from the University of St. Andrews, a master of professional communicati=
on from Toronto Metropolitan University and a bachelor's degree in English = literature from McGill University, Bryn focuses on finding stories of women=
lost within the cracks of the historical record.

Returning the Bones
Gin Hammond
https://www.returningthebones.com
Wheatmark
www.wheatmark.com
9798887470580, $34.95, HC, 320pp

https://www.amazon.com/Returning-Bones-Gin-Hammond/dp/B0C6RKHQWJ

Synopsis: Bebe, a bookworm with an outlandish imagination, lives a peculiar=
ly privileged life for a Black girl during the Great Depression. Her fearle=
ss father owns a hospital and an array of businesses, making him a keen tar= get of the KKK. Her home life is filled with a panoply of distinctive famil=
y members, including a psychic mother, a terrifying "spinster" aunt who's h= aving a secret affair with the local white sheriff, a renegade librarian au= nt, a grandmother who might be the great-great-granddaughter of Alexander H= amilton, and Grandmother Betty, a Cherokee medicine woman who suffers no fo= ols.

Guilt over the death of a beloved family member quenches Bebe's ability to = rebel against her father's suffocating expectations. A tempestuous relation= ship with her enigmatic boyfriend, and further challenges-both hilarious an=
d heartbreaking-compound Bebe's inability to live a life of her own choosin=
g, until an unlikely opportunity in post-war Europe arises. Will Bebe relin= quish dreams of being the architect of her own destiny, or abandon everythi=
ng she's ever known to reinvent herself in an unfamiliar world?

Critique: With the publication of "Returning the Bones", author Gin Hammon = has written a complex, deftly crafted, entertaining, and thought-provoking = novel that asks her readers 'how do you choose between your country, your p= eople, and yourself?. Authentic, original, memorable, inherently fascinatin=
g, "Returning the Bones" will have a special and particular appeal for read= ers with an interest in African-American biographical fiction. While especi= ally and unreservedly recommended for community library Historical Fiction = collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Returning =
te Bones" is also available in a paperback edition (9798887470573, $15.95) = and in a digital book format (Kindle, $9.99).

Editorial Note: Gin Hammond (https://www.ginhammond.com) is a graduate of H= arvard University and Moscow Art Theatre. She has performed nationally and = internationally at theatres such as the Guthrie, the Long Wharf Theatre, an=
d the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC, where she won a Helen Hayes Award f=
or Outstanding Lead Actress. A certified associate teacher of Fitzmaurice V= oicework(TM), Hammond teaches voice, voiceover, public speaking, and dialec=
t coaching.

German Days
Steven Clark
Independently Published
9798840621165, $16.99 Paper/$4.99 ebook

https://www.amazon.com/German-Days-Steven-Clark/dp/B0B71CCPP7

German Days is a novel of a 1970s tour of duty in Germany that changes GI P= atrick Walden's life and perceptions. But, more than a story of romance or = cross-cultural encounter, it offers a deeper probe into the German Psyche w= hich revolves around an obsession over a missing work of art and an effort =
to regain both it and a sense of country and purpose.

Over six hundred pages of detail might initially portend a challenging read= ing effort, but German Days is in fact a gripping story that carries reader=
s through history, politics, intrigue, and romance with a heady grip of fas= cinating changes and facts that keeps the story not just well grounded, but=
hard to put down.

The story opens in 1937 with an encounter with Hitler that sets the stage f=
or its focus on the Tannhauser sculpture and its allure. Clark employs a de=
ft hand to capturing Hitler's psyche as he establishes his power and contro=
l in many disparate worlds. The Tannhauser's representation of "A man caugh=
t between spiritual fulfillment and worldly temptation" is also representat= ive of the German psyche and entanglements that move from its past to prese= nt-day events. The notion that war is eternal and that German strength must=
be represented above any indicators of weakness permeates the story as eve= nts consider transformation, duty, business, and spies who are everywhere t= hrough the ages. The rescue and restoration of this work of art is key to h= ealing on many different levels.

As Steven Clark surveys the changing milieu of German's past and present wo= rlds, he brings readers into a thoroughly engrossing story that is more tha=
n a treasure hunt, but incorporates the excitement of discovery.

German Days will serve well as a leisure read, but also is highly recommend=
ed for book clubs considering contemporary works about the German psyche an=
d its history. Ultimately, libraries will also want to recommend this book = for its wide-ranging examination of the Tannhauser legend's rebirth and res= urrection under many different hands and special interests.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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